20 Years after Northridge Earthquake

Be Ready with Glendale’s Back to Business Program

20 Years after Northridge Earthquake
Be Ready with Glendale’s Back to Business Program

Glendale, CA – As the 20 year anniversary of the Northridge earthquake approaches, the City of Glendale encourages the community’s businesses to prepare themselves for an easy recovery following future natural disasters. In July 2013, the City of Glendale announced the adoption of the Back to Business Program (B2B Program), focusing on getting the city back up and running following an event such as an earthquake or other natural disaster. Glendale’s B2B Program is the first of its kind in Southern California, joining the City with DreamWorks Animation whose campus is in the heart of Glendale. The innovative public-private partnership focuses on the importance of rapid recovery and reinforces the City’s dedication to getting private industry “back to business” as quickly as possible.

The B2B Program basis is to work with businesses to pre-certify their buildings or campuses prior to a disaster to expedite the inspection process and provide business owners information about the safety of their buildings days, if not weeks, sooner than would be possible without B2B. David Cocke, President of Structural Focus and Co-Founder of the SAFE Institute, brought DreamWorks Animation and the City of Glendale together after having worked with San Francisco City Officials in the aftermath of a major earthquake.

Stuart Tom, the Fire Marshall for the City of Glendale, states, “We are proud to work with companies like DreamWorks Animation and Structural Focus as it allows us to lead the way in the Southern California region with the adoption of this great community recovery program. We look forward to working with other companies to do the same, as we are committed to the well-being of our community’s residents and businesses.”

While DreamWorks is the City’s first B2B partner, Glendale is eager to partner with many more private companies to provide the greatest safety and efficiency to our residents and businesses. Because it is cost-neutral, B2B is an effective way for jurisdictions to provide a high level of post-disaster support, without requiring additional resources.

Glendale, known as the “Jewel City,” is one of the largest cities in Los Angeles County. With a population over 190,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers limitless opportunities. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail and banking.

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